A Hair
by fuzzyfrog
Summary: A relationship is changed by a minute detail. A short vignette.


Clearly I don't own the X-Men.

Let's just say this is AU since I don't bother with silly things like canon.

Read it if you want, don't if you don't. Take it or leave it. This is the product of insomnia and boredom, not my magnum opus. I haven't even reread the thing.

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A hair; that's all it took. A single hair demolished our rock solid foundation. I still can't believe it. I thought we were building our life together.

We were going to get married, we even went to look at engagement rings (we didn't get it together because it's supposed to be a surprise—_was_ supposed to be…aww man…). We were going to find a place with some space, room to roam, but not too far from the city either, but not a suburb. Soon, we'd be able to have kids. A whole basket full! Cute as a button and genius to boot, each one of them. Only now they won't be. Because they won't ever happen. Neither will the house, the swing, the picket fence or the wedding.

I awoke this morning just like any other, perhaps a little cheerful Things had been going so well between us! I went down and got some breakfast. While savoring some orange juice I discovered that I felt lonely for one person in particular. So I went to their room.

I knocked. The door came open and I could hear the shower running. I went in and closed the door. I knocked at the bathroom and announced I'd be waiting. I went to the bed and sat down. I looked at the picture of us resting on the nightstand. I smiled at our exuberance, both of us staring back. Green and red on black eyes glittered, full of mirth. My attention turned to the unmade bed. I examined the crumpled covers for a moment and then turned and smoothed the pillow. That's when it happened. That's when I found it. The hair.

A single hair. It seemed so insignificant. However, to me, it is the weapon of annihilation destroying what is perhaps the first trusting relationship I've ever had. I pick up the hair and stair. It is medium to short length. It is a glossy black. It was resting on my loves pillow. Neither of our hair is black.

The bathroom door opens and steam pours out, setting the scene for the vision which enters, wrapped in a towel and still dripping wet.

"What are you doing?"

I still hold the hair while I search for eyes. My eyes are begging, pleading for reassurance to save me from the feeling of my heart eroding. Eyes to tell me that there is some other explanation for this than the obvious one. A cheater? Impossible. Why waste our dreams together? What do I say? I say nothing. I hold the hair, lock eyes with my lover and wait for an explanation while my mind reels from the shock.

"Oh! It's just Logan's, he came in for a minute last night to talk to me. Wanted to tell me he's going for a trip. Mexico this time."

She tries to make it sound normal, and move on. But it doesn't work. Logan was with me last night. We bumped into each other and spent most of the night together, as a last hurrah before his latest escapade.

I continue to stare, disbelief apparent by my unchanging expression of questioning. I remain silent.

"Babe—I—it was nothing. It didn't mean anything. I don't even know how it happened. One second I was with everyone else, and then someone sends over a drink and then we're talking and everyone had left so I had to ask for a ride—and –and. I don't even know, I'm sorry. So sorry! Babe, I-"

"Rogue."

"Remy, please."

I shake my head, feeling the heat of tears forming in my eyes. I look away, to the hair. I slowly reach over and set it on the nightstand, in front of our picture. I can't stand to look at her beaming face, or mine. I tip the picture onto it's face, over that vile strand.

I put my face in my palms. She went out for a night with the girls. She wore the power suppression bracelet prototype that Hank has been working on. It's very stylish actually. Maybe it's what caught the eye of the guy. I decide to end the thought there. I feel a hand on my shoulder and pull away, looking up with accusing eyes.

"How could you?" I ask. How could you throw it all away?

"I didn't mean to" was the reply. I stare into her remorseful face with incredulity. I rise to my feet turn and exit.

I always thought it would be me that cheated if either of us did. Everyone thought it would be me. I haven't been perfect, heck I've been downright rotten on more than one occasion. What can I say, I got a lot of issues, me. But I've never cheated, not even close. Flirted? Yes. Looked? Absolutely. But cheated? Never.

I hear Rogue coming up behind me as I walk to my room. I don't hear her words as she tries to talk some sense into me. Logan stops her as I close my door and collapse on my bed. I hear his questioning tone, his angry response as he draws the wrong conclusion from her garbled response. I hear her sobs as she gathers courage and sets him straight. I hear her sob as Logan goes silent, a dim reflection of my own shock.

How could this be? How could this happen? All of this time everyone, including myself, has been worried about her getting her heart broken. We working so long and hard to build our relationship. We said we built it to last, that if we could make it through so many extremes we must be rock solid. Nothing could break us apart. We were wrong. I feel myself crumbling. Irreparably shattered.

By a single strand of hair.


End file.
